Get a $250 Grocery Gift Card
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Frugal Shopping
Frugal Baby Necessities
How do you purchase baby necessities on a budget? This can be relatively difficult. If you aren’t careful, you could easily break the bank. So what’s the key? Here are seven tips for buying and using frugal baby necessities.
1. Budget
This is the most important tip for saving money. If you fail to do this, you could easily end up spending a small fortune. Set an amount you won’t go over every month, and stick with that at all costs.
2. Buy bulk
When you purchase items in bulk, you generally save money. This is because stores will mark them down when you buy the largest amount. So if you are purchasing wipes, getting a packet of thirty will cost you less than a packet of ten (assuming you use all thirty, of course).
3. Use reusable wipes
This is a critical method to conserve cash. You can conceivably go through twenty to thirty in a day if you don’t buy reusable. And consider getting natural organic wipes. These make sure that the cotton doesn’t have chemicals, and are much healthier for the baby. You might want to get the softer version, as this is better for the baby’s skin. What about cleaning the reusable wipe? You can just use simple warm water, or you can make your own solution. There are plenty of recipes for doing this online. However, water is often good enough.
4. Avoid brand name companies
Generally the quality doesn’t dip much from one firm to the next. Therefore, you save a lot by going with a lesser-known firm. However, if you have coupons for name brand items, by all means buy the name brand item and use your money saving coupons!
5. Wait for sales
Buying in bulk is always a good idea. However, doing this during a sale is even better, and using coupons takes saving money a step further. Be on the lookout for markdowns on the item you want, and then purchase a large amount.
6. Make your own items
You can do this for some or all of the baby items you need. Since diapers are one of the baby’s biggest requirements, this is one that you might want to make yourself. Is it hard to make diapers? Not really. All you need is some cloth. There are plenty of sewing methods, and for a complete list just go online. And for instructions on making virtually any baby item, just use the net.
7. Buy online
You can usually save money on the internet. Often times these stores have lower overhead expenses, so they pass these savings on to you. Just go to a number of different sites, do some comparison shopping, and select the lowest priced items.
The bottom line is, you don’t have to break the bank with a new baby. Follow these seven frugal tips and you could save a lot of money.
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Top Tactics for *On Sale* Shopping
It is always great to take advantage of a sale. Many items can be purchased at a steep discount which, in turn, will save you money. It is always best to shop a sale with a plan; a plan will help you to avoid needless spending. When preparing to shop a sale, take the following tips into consideration.
* Plan ahead. View the fliers for the sale beforehand and make a list of the items you want to purchase. This will help you avoid any needless spending as most stores place sale items strategically next to highly-coveted merchandise hoping for impulse buys.
* Set a budget and stick to it. Take cash only, as this will help you to stay on budget. You cannot spend it if you do not have it to spend.
* Most people like to shop the sales early to get first dibs on the merchandise. The earlier you arrive at the store, the greater your chances are at finding the sale items that you want. You can still visit later in the day but you may find that the items you were coveting have been sold out. This is especially true around the holidays.
* It is easy to get carried away with sale items. You may be tempted to purchase things that are on sale, but which are not necessarily needed in your household. If this is the case, try to hold off on the purchase until it becomes a necessity.
* Use coupons to further your discount. This may not work with every sale, but sometimes credit card holders will get additional discounts on top of the sale prices. Oftentimes coupons, if available, are posted in the sale flier. Clip these when you can and use them to further your savings.
* If your store has an email newsletter, sign up with them to get fliers and exclusive sales emailed to your inbox. Members are typically privy to sales before the general public. This will help you be aware of upcoming sales if you are not especially attentive to newspapers.
Finding a sale can be a real bargain for your budget. If you plan ahead, you will likely find that you can save more on your purchase than just the advertised sales. Set a budget and stick to it by carrying only cash and avoiding needless spending.
Signing up for email notifications is a great way to be aware of sales before the general public, or to be notified if you do not receive the daily newspaper. By utilizing the above tips you will be able to save even more money, and who doesn’t like that?
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Repairing Versus Replacing Old Appliances
You know when it happens. The day after you stock up on ice cream for your son’s July birthday party the freezer quits working. Or the morning before a dinner hoping to impress a new boss your oven suddenly won’t heat up. It’s enough to put you into a panic! And then the decisions begin – do you call a repair man or just go to the appliance store and buy a new one before the ice cream all melts or you have to order take-out?
Whatever the problem, there are some things to consider before you make the repair or replace decision.
* Warranty - If your appliance is under warranty, then it makes sense to just get it fixed. Even if you have to pay a service fee, it’s surely going to be less expensive. And if an appliance is still under warranty, it’s probably still fairly new and has a long life left.
* Age of appliance - The older your appliance, the more sense it makes to just replace it. A good rule of thumb is to replace it if it is about eight years old for a high-end appliance and half that for a less expensive one. If it has had little use, such as an appliance in a vacation property or if you simply don’t cook much, then it could be worth considering a fix if it’s older than that.
* Cost of fixing – If fixing the appliance will cost more than half the price of an equivalent new appliance, then it’s usually not worth fixing. If you are handy, you may be able to fix it yourself, so consider all options before deciding.
* Cost of replacing - The sticker price on a new appliance may not be the only thing you have to consider at this point of the decision. Do you want a higher-end model? Have you been planning to renovate your kitchen?
Make sure you get the appliance you are going to want a year or two from now to go with the other new appliances you may have been planning to purchase. Does the appliance qualify for a tax credit or rebate at this time? That would be a huge dent in the sticker price. Also look at the cost to run the appliance. The less energy it takes, the less the appliance will cost in the long run.
* Environmental impact - No matter which way you end up going, there will be an environmental impact. If you keep the older appliance, it will probably be using more electricity than a newer model. However, if you replace it, the older appliance may end up in a land-fill.
To minimize the latter scenario, first consider if it’s worth donating. Someone who cannot afford a new appliance might very well be able to afford fixing your old one, and many charities have volunteers who fix donated appliances for free. Offer the appliance on Freecycle or post it for free on Craigslist. Someone may want it to fix or to part out. Even if it’s in really bad shape, the metal can be recycled by someone who knows how to do it.
Deciding whether to replace or repair an appliance is a difficult decision for some, especially when finances are tight. Considering all of these aspects should help smooth that decision.
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Have a Frugal No Splurge Month
Do you need to save some money for a big purchase or recover from a large bill you just paid? Perhaps you just want to gain better control of your spending and get into serious frugal living. Having a frugal No Splurge Month could be the answer for you.
A frugal No Splurge Month is when you designate a month where you won’t spend any money on anything that isn’t absolutely essential. There is no spending money on anything you don’t legitimately need. When done as a family, this is a great way to save some money and learn more about what you can really live without.
Before you decide to stop spending unnecessary money, you will have to make a plan. Otherwise, old habits will probably take over and your frugal No Splurge Month can easily be derailed. Determine that you WANT to get into frugal living.
First of all, pick a month that will realistically work for you and your family to not splurge. You’ll probably want to avoid months where you are celebrating a major holiday or taking a vacation. Also, plan it for a month when you won’t have unexpected genuine needs, like when the kids go back to school.
When you have your month selected, plan how you will handle specific situations that will arise during that month. For example, if there is a child’s birthday party in the month you’re deciding not to splurge, decide ahead of time how you will handle that. That will help you stick to your no-splurging plan.
It might also help for you to set a budget for the month. Better budgeting will help you stay focused in your spending. You may want to put away your credit cards during this time too. Having your credit cards close at hand makes it easy to follow to urge to splurge when it strikes.
In your frugal living planning, be realistic while creating your better budgeting plan. Acknowledge that unexpected yet legitimate expenses may arise, no matter how well you plan. You may want to set aside a certain amount cash to cover those. You can still keep costs down by putting only a small amount of money aside, and any surprise expenses have to come from that amount.
Before you start your frugal No Splurge Month, it’s essential to talk about it as a family. With everyone on board, it will be easier to avoid needless spending. Decide as a family what you are allowed to spend money on. This may be a good time to talk about the difference between needs and wants. If you explain to everyone what you’re doing, and the purpose behind it, they will be more helpful and not ask for things that you haven’t agreed on beforehand. Kids may even view a frugal No Splurge Month as a fun challenge and hold you accountable for your own money spending.
Having a frugal No Splurge Month is a great way to get spending money under control and find out what you really can live without. By planning ahead and involving the whole family, frugal living can be a success for everyone involved.
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